


Once Bitten...

by TritoneHorror



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Adventure Zone: Amnesty - Fandom
Genre: Animal Transformation, Body Horror, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Burn, Well...werewolf transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-20 15:50:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18995749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TritoneHorror/pseuds/TritoneHorror
Summary: After an attack in the forest Duck starts a slow transformation into something monstrous. Indrid offers to keep him company during the change.This fic is completely self indulgent and I have no excuse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to read slow burns. I wanted to read slow depictions of body transformation/shapeshifting. I wanted to read indruck. I wanted to write. I combined these desires and created this fic. "I wrote this for me but yall can read it if you want"

Duck was making a resolution to never volunteer to check out suspicious activity again. First it had been the mutant bear abomination now this. A couple had reported a "rabid wolf" and, knowing what he did, Duck had told everyone else at the ranger station to sit this one out. Stupid. He should've called someone at the lodge and asked for assistance before he left but he didn't. He doesn't regret going though. He rather it be him then someone else at the ranger station. He just wished he still had his old powers from Minerva. Because right now his chances weren't looking very good. 

The couple hadn't been too far off in their description; it did look like a rabid wolf but more like the kind that would show up in a horror movie about werewolves. It was huge, Duck knew wolves were bigger than a lot of people expect them to be but this beast was massive. And the proportions in its body were...off. Legs too long for its body; joints bent at weird impossible angles; patches of uneven furr and its skin looked too tight for its body as if it had been stretched past its maximum size. Its jaw was a massive jumble of sharp teeth and what looked like black tar that oozed out and into its own fur. Its eyes were a sickly fluorescent yellow and they were pointed right at Duck. 

So Duck ran. For all the good it would do for him he ran. He knew the forest by heart, so navigating wasn't an issue. Running faster than this thing? Now that was going to be the issue. He could hear it gaining ground behind him. It was getting closer. Duck pushed himself to go faster if he could only -

Too late.

There was a burning sharp pain in his shoulder as the beast threw itself, mouth open, at Duck. He cried out in pain. The second he hit the  ground he struggled against the monster. He fumbled with Beacon but he couldn't manage a good slash at the thing. The beast relented long enough for Duck to roll on his back before it threw itself back at him. Duck managed to block it from getting a bite at his throat. As the teeth dug into his arm he felt tears swell in his eyes. The bites  _ burned _ . There was an unpleasant tingling that flowed through his veins. He watched through blurry vision as some of the black ooze dripped into his open wound. Black tar mixing with blood.

There was a flash of light and in the same second the beast was thrown off of Duck. 

"Gotcha ya hairy bastard!" Ned exclaimed in a tone more jovial than what Duck thought the situation allowed for. Even so, Ned did not lower the narfblaster and kept it pointed at the beast. 

"Duck are you alright?" There was a gentle touch on his good shoulder. Despite the clear avoidance of touching his wounds, Duck still winced in pain. Trying not to focus on the pain he instead focused on the person at his side, blinking a few times to make sure he would see clearly.

"Indrid?"

Indrid held Duck steady as he sat up, offering himself as support for Duck to lean on when he found sitting up to be too much to handle.

"I'm sorry, Duck. I should have paid more attention to the futures. Maybe I could've prevented this. We were almost too late. I am so sorry."

If moving were possible Duck would be waving his hand to get Indrid to stop blaming himself. 

"Hey. It's good to see you again buddy." Duck grimaced at the pain of speaking. 

Indrid paused. He didn't know what to say to that so he just nodded. 

"Duck!" Aubrey dropped to her knees at Duck's other side. "Oh my god Duck…" she whispered when she saw the bloody mess. 

"Let me heal you." Aubrey held her hands above Duck's arm. They were already glowing with a soft light. 

"Aubrey…" Indrid started to protest before cutting himself short.

"Please. I want to heal Duck." 

Duck felt like she was asking for permission, maybe not from him specifically, but he nodded anyway. He felt Indrid's fingers tighten their hold on him as Aubrey lowered her hands to Duck's wounds. At first there was nothing, Duck worried that he might be too far for her magic. Then there was fire. There was fire _ inside _ of him. Everything felt alive and it hurt. Duck hears screaming only to realize the scream is his own. Aubrey hesitates and moves to pull away but Indrid stops her hands.

"We have to finish healing him." Aubrey nods and they both keep their hands while the magic flows into Duck. His skin was slowly repairing itself but he could  _ feel  _ it. He felt the muscle and tissues move and grow back together. It was agonizing but it went by fast. When Aubrey and Indrid were done they removed their hands and Duck had stopped screaming. Somewhere during it he had turned his face into Indrid's chest - Duck couldn't bring himself to care or feel embarrassed about that at the moment though. His mind was foggy with pain but somewhere he has the thought that Indrid was holding him.

Ned stepped closer to the group. 

"The thing looks dead but I don't trust it. What's your call on it, Mr. Prophet?"

Indrid looks towards the beast where it lays several yards away. He contemplates, scanning the futures, for a few seconds before nodding. 

"Aubrey, would you...dispose of the body?" He asks. Aubrey nods. 

"No fire." Duck tries to speak but he isn't sure the mumbles that come out are coherent enough for the others to hear.

"I'm going to take Duck back to his apartment. We can meet back up there after you two fill in those at the Lodge." Indrid continues. 

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Ned asks.

Indrid shakes his head. He removes his glasses - Duck can tell because there's a shift and suddenly he's leaning into the (surprisingly) soft fluff of his moth form. Duck slowly realizes he's had his eyes closed since they finished the healing. 

"Duck. I'm going to pick you up now."

Duck nods, or he tries to, and he feels himself being lifted off the ground effortlessly. 

"We'll see you two soon. I...I don't believe this is over yet." 

There's a sad uneasiness in Indrid's voice that makes Duck's heart ache but Duck is too tired to do anything about it.  He buries his face deeper into Indrid's chest and drifts into nothingness. 

 

When he wake up it is in his apartment. He's in his bed and his shirt is gone. The thing was torn and bloody now so he figures Indrid must have thrown it away. He examines the bite on his arm and what he can see of his shoulder. Both bites now looked scarred over. The scars didn't look fresh but they still stand out against his skin. He's glad scars don't bother him personally; he's learned with his chest surgery that he doesn't particularly care about how scars play into his appearance. 

There's a knock at his doorway as Indrid crosses the threshold. He's carrying a steaming bowl and Duck's pretty sure his stomach just growled. He's starving. Indrid hands him the bowl and Duck scoots over to make room on the bed for Indrid to sit. After some thought Indrid does. Duck cradles the warm bowl of soup in his hands; it looks like canned chicken noodle which is fine with Duck. His desire to talk with Indrid wins over his desire to scarf the soup down quickly.

"Hey. Thank you. For the, uh, soup but mostly for saving me. I guess we're even huh?" Duck meant the last bit as a joke but from the sad smile on Indrid's face he can tell it didn't land. 

"Please don't think I saved you today because I felt indebted to you. I came to help you because I think of you as a friend."

Duck reached over put a hand on his shoulder. "I know that and I feel the same. I meant what I said earlier; it's good to see ya, bud." Duck kept his hand there until Indrid turned and gave him a small but earnest smile. Duck regretfully took back his hand to focus on his soup. 

"So tell me about where you've been these last few weeks."

"Not much to tell honestly."

Despite that, Indrid told him about where he was after the tree abomination. All the tiny details; what gas stations he stopped at, the traffic he encountered on the highways, and descriptions of the towns he visited. He talked while Duck ate but Duck finished fairly quickly though, so he wasn't talking too long. 

When he saw Duck finish and set the bowl on the bedside table he paused. He deliberated over his next course of action before coming to a decision. He turned fully towards Duck and grabbed one of his now empty hands. Duck stilled, feeling conflicting emotions about the action - something was wrong. Indrid still looked so sad. The same sadness from the forest had not faded. He held Indrid's hand in his own and waited for the other to speak. 

"Duck there is something important you have to know...but I don't know how to tell you."

Duck could feel his own heartbeat jump in his chest, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Just tell me the truth - I'm bad with lies anyway."

After a moment of silence Indrid spoke.

"That wolf...beast. When it attacked you it did something to you. I don't… No one fully understands how the abominations work - if that thing  _ was _ an abomination - so there's little explanation as to  _ why  _ but… When that thing attacked you it did something, it changed you. Or rather it is going to change you. I don't see a way we can stop it either - I've looked at all the possibilities but it seems the only options are this or…"

"...So what are you saying? That I'm what? Going to change into a werewolf?"

Indrid stayed silent.

"Hah, you're joking." His blood ran cold. "You're not joking…"

Duck hung his head in his hand. He started to chuckle. His laughter turned into crying and then he was being pulled into Indrid's chest. Duck held onto him and sobbed. He couldn't do this. He couldn't handle this happening so soon after losing his powers. If he still had his connection with Minerva would this still be happening to him? He cries over losing her. He cries over the sadness and regret in Indrid's face. 

When he's finished crying he feels numb, completely drained. He pulls back and catches Indrid wiping a tear from under his glasses. He feels a faint urge to comfort Indrid but the numbness drowns it out as quickly as it appears. 

"When will it start?"

"It's going to happen slowly over the course of a few days. I'll have a disguise made for you but it will have to wait till the end of the process or it won't work… Yes - you were going to ask if I would stay with you. I will if that's what you want."

"I'd like that. Thank you." 

After a while, Duck gets up out of bed and finds a clean shirt. Indrid tells him Aubrey, Ned, Barclay, and Mama are on their way over to discuss the attack so he figures he better prepare himself.  

He has no real other choice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duck is trans. While there might be some slight body dysphoria there will not be any references to gender dysphoria specifically. 
> 
> I have a rough idea but I'm not entirely sure where this fic is going yet. I'm going to try to keep the tags updated with the content.

The second Aubrey steps through the door she's wrapping her arms around Duck in a hug. 

"Don't you ever investigate weird things alone ever again." Her stern tone doesn't match her actions and Duck lets out a soft chuckle. 

"I've learned my lesson. Believe me."

Aubrey pulls back and wipes her eyes. 

"Good. Because if it happens again, I'll kick your ass."

He believes it. "I know."

Ned dramatically pulls him in for an embrace as well; making a show of it in front of Aubrey. 

"Yes, oh our dear Duck, do  _ not _ frighten us like that again. Why, I don't know how we could go on without you. We'd have to drop out of the business." Duck rolls his eyes and Aubrey elbows Ned in the gut. He pulls back at that and the shit-eating looks on his face turns serious for a moment. "In all seriousness Duck, it's good to see you came out unharmed."

Duck grimaces. "That's uh….that's debatable. Y'all better make yourselves comfy."

 

"But how?" Barclay asks for a second, maybe third time. Duck hasn't been paying too much attention. Mama, Barclay, and Indrid have been discussing the technicalities of the hows and whys for the last ten minutes. They haven't made a whole lot of progress, mostly talking in circles in Duck's opinion. Aubrey is intently listening trying to learn as much as she can despite having little to nothing to add to the conversation herself. Ned moves from where he's been sitting to sit next to Duck. 

"Perhaps when this is all over I can get your help on some of the werewolf exhibits at the Cryptonomica." Duck barely manages a dry laugh. "I'm kidding - mostly kidding." Ned sighs. "This is some weird shit we got ourselves into isn't it? How are you holding up?"

Duck takes a deep breath. "I'll be honest, I'm not doing too well." He struggles with keeping his composure and the last part comes out a louder and more strained. Ned only nods. 

"Let me know if there's anything I can do for you. Oh, I know. I'll go get some of those good donuts and pastries for you from that place we were talking about. The one bakery in Whats-it-Called." Ned waves his hand when he fails to remember the town's name. "I'd get you some soup but I'll save that for later - we'll make that trip afterwards."

Duck calms himself back down. "Yeah...yeah I'd like that."

Ned pats his shoulder and gets up. That's when Duck notices that the other conversation has dissipated and most of the group had their eyes on him. He bristles at the attention. He's trying to think of something to say when Indrid interrupts, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Don't." His voice is loud and firm. "Don't you dare say that. Don't you dare make him feel guilty for what's been done to him."

Duck follows Indrid's gaze to see Mama pointedly avoiding everyone else's eyes. 

"That's not -" She cuts herself short and sighs. "You're right. That's not what I mean to say."

She gets up and heads to the door. Before she leaves she turns to Duck and gives him a sincere look. He can see the guilt and pain in her eyes. 

"Duck, I'm real sorry for what happened - what's happening. We might not be able to stop this but I promise," her gaze turns hard and Duck can see the stress from years of fighting turn into cold determination. "I promise we will stop this from ever happening again. Let me know if there's anything we can do. You know where to find me." She walks out the door and Barclay gets up to follow her. 

"She's blaming herself for what happened - she's blaming herself for not being able to stop the abominations." Barclay sighs. He turns to Duck and nods. "I know we keep saying it, but do let us know if there's anything we can do to help." And he leaves. 

Ned stretches. "I guess that's our cue. Come on kiddo, let's go." He motions for Aubrey to follow and waves to Duck. "I'll be back with those pastries. Take good care of him, Indrid." 

Duck tries not to blush at the last remark. 

Aubrey is slower to leave. She stands in front of Indrid for a moment, contemplating.

"It's good to see you back, Indrid. Thank you." She offers him and hug which he accepts. When they pull apart Aubrey waves Duck a mock salute goodbye. "We'll be back soon. You two be good!"

As the door closes Duck stands up. He stretches, his whole body is sore but he doesn't think that will be going away anytime soon. He moves closer to Indrid, who gazing off in the distance. Most likely watching the future, Duck thinks.

"Hey… uh, thank you." Duck is relieved when Indrid doesn't ask for clarification and instead smiles at him. Duck clears his throat.

"Yeah so uh, do you want to watch a movie or something?"

Indrid laughs. "Are you seriously about to offer  _ The Mothman Prophecies  _ as movie for us to watch? You know exactly what you're doing too."

Duck smiles. "I got other movies too if that's not your thing." He snaps his fingers. "Wait - you're a Gosling fan. Of course! I bet I have a movie or two with him we can watch."

Hearing Indrid's laugh soothes some of his worries and Duck decides he wants to hear it more often. 

 

Somewhere during their movie marathon Duck fell asleep. He wakes to find he's still on the couch with Indrid, that he fell asleep leaning on his shoulder. He looks up at the taller man and sees that Indrid still asleep. His head is hanging to his chest and glasses are skewed at an awkward angle where Duck can see his eyes are closed. Even in sleep Indrid's face is wrinkled in stress. Duck finds he wants to reach out and smooth the stress off his face. 

Damn. The guy's barely been back a day and Duck is pinning something  _ fierce _ already. He can't help it though. Even with all that happened with Minerva he kept thinking about Indrid after finding him gone the day after the tree abomination fight. Seeing Indrid for the first time in weeks feels...surreal. Since seeing him in the forest, he's wondered if maybe he got hit really bad in the head and if this is all a dream, featuring his crush. Lost in thought, Duck almost misses the sight of Indrid blinking awake.Duck watches the other man stretch before he looks down at him. 

"We probably shouldn't sleep on the couch like this."

Duck nods. He stands and offers a hand to Indrid. 

"My bed is big enough for the both of us - if you want to sleep there. I, uh, don't want ya to sleep on the couch by yourself." 

Indrid nods. 

 

After finishing his nightly routine, Duck climbs into bed. Indrid had already made himself comfortable on his side. Duck finds himself staring as his eyes drift back to sleep.

"Hey, Indrid?" Indrid hums. "I'm glad you're here."

Duck is asleep before Indrid can respond. Indrid turns on his side and watches Duck for a few seconds before falling asleep himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep a buffer between chapters. Next we'll see Duck adjust to his new heightened senses. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's gonna be a lot of hurt/comfort aspects in this fic. And its turning into more of a "moderate" burn rather than slow burn.

When Duck wakes up he is aware of two things; one, he has to piss and two, he has the worse migraine in the history of forever - or at least his life. He quickly discovers he can't just ignore the first in favor of the second and he gets out of bed with a groan. Making his way to the bathroom becomes one of the hardest tasks he's ever endured. Everything was  _ too much _ ; each of his senses were overloaded and each little thing he picked up on was overwhelming. Lights were too bright; his vision was cloudy and colors hurt to look at. Touch was also bad; he felt like internally a dial that controlled his perception processing had been turned all the way up past it's already high normal setting. Even smell was too strong; he could smell signs of his cat and the scented air freshener in the hall. 

Having taken care of problem one he made is way back to bed. He finds his room cloaked in darkness despite the rising sun. Indrid had gotten up and pulled his blinds and curtains shut. He had even covered up the digital clock on the bedside table so even the slightest fraction of light was obscured. Duck would be singing Indrid praises if speaking weren't such a gargantuan task at the moment. 

Laying back down he struggled to find a comfortable position. Eventually he finds something bearable and settles back to sleep.

 

He can already tell his senses are still heightened before he's fully regained consciousness. Fortunately, everything is. easier to process and the throbbing pain in his skull has subsided. Duck doesn't even bother opening his eyes yet as he stretches out on his bed. Taking a deep breath he catches a scent he hadn't caught before. It's hard to describe but its sweet with traces of more subtle smells, like fresh linens. It's comforting and Duck finds himself blindly following it to its source. It isn't until he's nuzzling into something that he deciphers the source.  _ Indrid _ . He's pressed fully against Indrid's side with his nose at the base of his neck, breathing in the scent. Indrid doesn't push him away. 

"Goodmorning."

"You smell nice." Duck's thoughts are still too hazy for him to feel embarrassed at the moment.

"I think it's safe to say you are already experiencing some of the effects of your change." Indrid says thoughtfully.

"Makes sense." Great. It dawns on him that he's signed himself up for a few days of embarrassing himself in front of his crush until he adjusts to the changes. He begrudgingly pulls away and hovers slightly above Indrid. Staring down at him wonders why the other would agree to stay; he has the sudden curiosity about how Indrid feels about him. He tries to search his eyes but the reflective glasses make that impossible. Another thought occurs to him.

"I hope you know you are encouraged to make yourself at home here. You should be able to feel comfortable since you're staying after all."

Indrid smiles and gives him a curious look.

"I know that Duck, thank you. Before you mention space heaters, you should know that you are quite warm - I do find myself comfortable."

Duck felt heat raise to his face. He felt a small sense of pride in bringing Indrid comfort in such a way. 

"Well I...I mean...What about your glasses?"

"My glasses?" Indrid seemed confused at the question.

"Yeah. They must be awkward to sleep with - I don't want ya to think you  _ have  _ to wear them while you're here." Duck was avoiding Indrid's gaze now.

Indrid was quiet for a moment. Duck started to worry he might have offended him somehow before he sees Indrid reach for his glasses. He rises them to his forehead revealing his eyes. They were a solid red - no pupils, just an inhuman solid red. Duck was entranced.

"Are you sure?" The question is soft with the faintest hint of trepidation.

"Yeah….I'm not gonna punch them off of ya again though, don't worry."

The anxiety melts from Indrid's face as he laughs and Duck's heart flutters. Indrid removes the glasses completely and in an instant his form changes. Duck carefully takes in as many details as he can; this is the closest he's been to Indrid in this form and he had been kinda distracted the past two times. He silently asks for permission and Indrid nods his consent. He runs a hand down the fluff (not really feathers but scales?) on Indrid's chest, it's softer than he expects it to be. He says this outloud and Indrid makes a soft chirping noise in response. 

Duck struggles to fight the temptation to ask Indrid if he would like to just stay in bed (and maybe cuddle) for the rest of the day. 

" **Hey do you want breakfast** ?"

" **Hey do you want breakfast** ?" 

Duck smirks and he swears Indrid looks amused.

 

Duck's glad he was able to stock up on cereal recently. Indrid just finished his bowl but Duck is currently debating on a third bowl. As he gets up to clean his bowl Indrid pushes the box of cereal to Duck.  He eagerly accepts the invitation and pours another bowl. He couldn't help it - he was hungry. 

As Indrid is washing his bowl he perks up. "Oh," Duck raises his brow and gives Indrid his attention. "We should pick out the accessory you want enchanted with your disguise, before we forget."

Duck swallows the spoonful that just turned to ash in his mouth. It sinks in his stomach. Oh yeah. That was a thing now. He sighs and continues eating. He focuses on thinking what he could use as a disguise. He probably couldn't use Beacon as a disguise item. His suspenders? Nah, that wouldn't work. Maybe…

He quickly sets his almost empty bowl down and heads to his room. "I think I have something." He calls back. He ends up having to search a few places but he eventually finds it and returns to Indrid. He tosses the small box and the seer effortlessly catches it. 

After inspecting the contents Indrid nods. "These will work. When was the last time you wore them?"

Duck shrugs. "I try to wear them every now and then. It has been a while though. Wore them more in high school. We  _ probably  _ won't have to re-pierce my ears. But we might."

Indrid takes the stud earrings out of the box and holds them up to the light. He then takes the crystal around his neck and begins working a spell. Duck watches as he places his bowl in the sink. When Indrid is done he places them back in the box and hands it to him. 

"As I said before, unfortunately they won't do much help until after the change is completed but here you are."

Duck takes the box. He doesn't want to think about what was soon to happen and these were a blatant reminder. He sets them in an empty cabinet (next to Beacon), out of sight and out of mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've said this before but I'm not really sure where this fic will end up going yet. But at this point i feel safe saying its definitely going to be written with a mature audience rating with explicit undertones. Will it actually get explicit content? Thats yet to be seen. Either way, if you're underage/a minor I'd feel more comfortable if you sat this one out, Thanks.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [This fic featuring werewolf Duck.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18947539/chapters/44985799)  
> I'll be honest. It's less about the werewolves and more about the shapeshifting for me but I got hooked on this concept.


End file.
